Immigration issue needs new approach

Protesters hold a demonstration outside a federal building July 21 in San Francisco. After the protest the group presented a letter to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi's office demanding recognition for refugee children entering the United States.
(Photo:
Eric Risberg / AP
)

The most recent evolution in the on-again-off-again illegal immigration debate is a massive influx of children from Latin American countries, often brought by people hired by the kids’ parents in hopes of the children making it across the border and into the arms of a nurturing, caring Uncle Sam.

No doubt, this is a polarizing issue, with some people wanting to ship these kids back to their parents and others advocating for keeping them here to provide them sanctuary from the plight they almost certainly would face if they were to remain in these extremely poor nations south of Mexico.

Both sides have important points. We can’t ensure the security of our country — or at least as best as we can ensure security — without a closed border. We have to know, as a nation, who is in the country and where. We may not want to admit it, but our government pretty much knows where each of us are at any point in time, or at least it could know, simply because of our use of cell phones, debit cards and other things that provide a time, day and place for our location. We don’t have such a tracking system for illegal immigrants. They truly are “under the radar.”

On the other side, many people like to recite the axiom that this nation was built on Judeo-Christian values. If that is true, one of the primary teachings — first from the Jewish patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and later from Jesus himself — from the Bible is the concept of hospitality and caring for the strangers and travelers among us.

There has to be some kind of middle ground here. I think there are four aspects:

One, we need to go back to some form of what we used to have at Ellis Island in the early to mid-20th century. Despite its problems, it required health screenings, sponsorships and other aspects of immigration provided a way to track who entered the nation.

Two, Congress has to level the playing field by allowing for people from the poorest nations the opportunity to enter the country in an orderly fashion. These people can’t afford immigration attorneys.

Three, Congress and the president should add strings to any aid that goes from the United States to the nations of this exodus. If these nations can’t account for money going to economic development, which would make life better for the people living there and make it less likely for people to want to flee to the United States, then the aid gets cut off.

Four, immigrants have to have skills. If workers don’t have the skills we need to meet the needs of the United States, then they have to wait in line longer. People who have the skills — and yes, there is still room for laborers — move to the front of the line.

Is this the fairest way to address the issue? I’d like to hear your thoughts. I’ll take part in a discussion on The Spectrum’s Facebook page starting at noon Monday. Drop in and share your thoughts.

Contact Editor Todd Seifert at 435-674-6235, or via email at tseifert@thespectrum.com. Follow him on Twitter, @ToddSeifert.